Personal brand
Google, Kellogg’s and Sony are just a few of the brands Shib Hussain worked on before launching a pioneering dating website with fellow Staffordshire University alumni Adam Lowe. In 2015, the pair founded Tab Dating, an extension for Google’s Chrome internet browser, which boasts of bringing online matchmaking to its users.
The move followed a quick rise in the advertising sector, but Shib’s success could not extinguish an entrepreneurial interest first sparked after graduating in 2009. After gaining a degree in Advertising and Brand Management, Shib entered into a sector ravaged by recession. Teaming up with two fellow graduates, he took the innovative approach of launching his own brand communications agency to boost his CV and stand out to prospective employers.
“The market was dead when we graduated, so we set up 3 Monkeys No Banana in the University’s Business Village, which we ran for six months,” Shib explained. “We worked with various companies and organisations, helping them to develop their brand and communication strategies, which helped me land a job in London.”
Capital career
Shib grew up in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, and chose Staffordshire University as much for its proximity to home as for the strength of his chosen degree. However, at the end of 2009 he was lured to London, the centre of the UK’s advertising industry, with a job at communications agency Crayon.
“I chose Staffs partly because I wanted to stay local but it wouldn’t have stopped me going elsewhere if I thought there was a better course,” Shib recalled. “Staffs was an ideal place to get into the advertising sector – the course was a great foundation. After graduating, I initially didn’t want to leave the Midlands but, because of the credit crunch, there were not many people recruiting so I moved to where the jobs were.”
Shib became a Planner at Crayon (now part of Karmarama), working on brands including Sony and Honda Bikes. He then took a similar position at Publicis Modem, working on Renault and United Biscuits. In 2012 he stepped up to Senior Strategist at Isobar, with clients including Auto Trader, Google, Kellogg’s, Foot Locker and Toyota, and finally had a short stint at BBH London before going freelance to enable the launch of his new enterprise.
“One particular highlight for me was working on Google, launching their Play Music platform across Europe, as well as on brand strategy for Auto Trader. I’ve worked and traveled to the US, Amsterdam, Dusseldorf, Paris, Geneva and other places in Europe. But I’d always wanted to start my own thing.”
Global ambition
Tab Dating was first revealed in June 2015 and received a flurry of publicity due to its alternative approach to online dating. Coverage in Glamour, The Huffington Post and Fast Company helped the start-up to 4,000 registrations of interest in its first three weeks. In January 2016, the platform officially opened for business, with Shib and partners now canvasing for investment to help take Tab Dating global.
“We’re raising money to grow the team, hire developers in London, and promote the brand,” he said. “We have launched in London but we want to take the platform to all major cities around the world within the next three years and grow to millions of users. We want Tab Dating to become a global brand.”
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